Media Release: IRC Expands Board Leadership
The Institute for Regional Conservation is proud to announce that Patty Phares and Joyce Maschinski will join its Board of Directors this September. IRC is well known for its cutting edge work on regional conservation issues, especially involving rare plants and ecological restoration, and the addition of Phares and Maschinski will boost its efforts to protect species at both the global and local levels. Ms. Phares is a long time conservation activist in South Florida, especially known for her work with the local chapter of the Florida Native Plant Society where she has volunteered for 30 years. Dr. Maschinski is the conservation ecologist leading the South Florida conservation program at Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden. She has significant expertise on conservation corridors and is co-editor of the forthcoming book, Plant Reintroduction in a Changing Climate: Promises and Perils (Island Press). Bringing Maschinski and Phares onto the IRC board represents just the first phase of planned leadership expansion at the well-respected institution. “IRC has accomplished an incredible amount in its first 25 years,” states IRC President and Executive Director George Gann. “But we cannot rest on our laurels. Global change demands ever more action and IRC must evolve to meet this challenge. We need leaders to step forward at this critical juncture and we are both honored and grateful to have Patty and Joyce join us this fall.”

IRC Research Associate Steve Woodmansee named President of the Florida Native Plant Society
Long-time IRC staffer and reseach associate Steve Woodmansee has become the new President of the Florida Native Plant Society. Visit the FNPS blog (June 12) for an interview with Steve. IRC has had an excellent and long-running relationship with the Florida Native Plant Society, which was one of the founding sponsors of our Natives For Your Neighborhood Program.

Restoration Crews in Action
IRC now has two restoration crews up and running! Our GreenSweep Team in the Florida Keys is working under the guidance of Cody-Marie Miller and our Miami-Dade County Exotic Plant Control Crew is being directed by James Duquesnel and John James. Our 6-person teams are feverishly removing invasive exotic plant species and excess hardwoods in order to restore and maintain pine rockland habitat on private lands. Both teams are funded through the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service with the Miami-Dade County grant coming from Stimulus funds. Restoration of these properties will greatly increase the connectivity between remaining pine rockland fragments, ensuring healthier populations of native plants and animals, particularly pine rockland habitat specialists.

IRC Recieves Stimulus Package Funds
We're pleased to announce that our stimulus package proposal to the USFWS was not only funded, but was ranked top funding priority for our region! The funds will enable us to hire a restoration crew to expand our pinerockland restoration project in Miami-Dade County. 200 acres of private and 300 acres of public pine rocklands will be restored to enhance and expand critical habitat for 17 species of Federally-listed and candidate plant and animal species.

IRC to Study Sea Level Rise in Everglades National Park
IRC received Critical Ecosystem Studies Initiative (CESI) funding to study the effects of sea level rise on coastal upland plants in the Everglades National Park. A combination of field and experimental methods will be utilized to, a) determine depth of water uptake and salinity of water utilized by coastal upland plants, b) monitor the effects of differential salinity levels on plant growth, survival and stomatal conductance in a shadehouse. Needless to say, we are excited!

We Burned Our Pinelands!
After years of dreaming, planning and working through logistics, we finally burned both our George N. Avery and John Kunkel Small Pinelands last week. Neither were burned for at least 15 years prior to this and were being overgrown by hardwoods. Healthy fire regimes follow nature's cycle of a burn every three to seven years to maintain optimal conditions for a variety of pineland specialist plants and animals. These burns were particularly important because both were relatively small parcels and the Avery Pineland is surrounded by residential homes. Many of the remaining pinelands in Miami-Dade County are in a similar situation so having successful burns may set a precedence to do the same on many other properties that are in dire need of a burn. These burns were conducted under the direction of IRC Senior Biologist Mike Barry and his partners from "Land Restoration and Management Services", Steve Thurlow and Nate Lehmkuhl.We would also like to thank the following volunteers, donors and logistical supporters who made these burns possible: Dennis Giardina (FWC), Tony Pernas (NPS), Don Stringer (MDC Fire), Gary Lewis (DOF), John Whelan, Patty Phares, Terry & Barbara Glancy, John Greenleaf III, Pat Kelly, Alan Cressler, Manuel Beers, Katha Sheehan, James Fobb, participants in IRC's last two restoration BBQs, the Ross Foundation and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

Interested in Learning to Identify South Florida Grasses?
Famed grass expert, Keith Bradley, will be teaching at least one South Florida Grass Identification Workshop this fall. The workshop covers grass terminology; general differences between grasses (Poaceae), sedges (Cyperaceae) and rushes (Juncaceae); grass identification resources; and an overview of grass species in South Florida. By the end of the workshop, participants will be familiar with diagnostic characters, how to use diagnostic keys and will be prepared to recognize species in the field. Traditionally this course has been offered as a one-day classroom experience, but if there is enough interest, it will be expanded to a more extensive course that includes field components. The one day workshop is being offered at $175 and the two-day class would cost $350. If you would be interested in taking one of these courses from Keith in September or October, please contact him at (305) 247-6547 or at bradley@regionalconservation.org so he can plan accordingly.

Check Out Our New Native Plant Nursery Page
In response to popular demand, we created a webpage dedicated to our native plant nursery. Not only can you access our most current plant inventory list there, but you can also read about the purpose of our nursery and find out how you can help. Please take the time to visit our newest webpage and let us know what you think. Better yet, maybe it's time to buy a new plant for your yard! The Florida ironweed are flowering beautifully at the moment...

IRC Wins Power Financial Credit Union's Small Business Contest
Earth Day came with an extra boost for IRC this year! Power Financial Credit Union CEO Allan Prindle and associates visited the IRC headquarters today and awarded us Grand Prize in their Small Business Makeover Contest. The prize included a $1,000 gift card to Staples and free, private consulting in financial planning, marketing and public relations. This is a great opportunity for us to improve our infrastructure in order to connect our conservation efforts with new communities and to ensure our security through this economic slump. For more information, please check out their press release. We would like to thank Power Financial Credit Union for giving us this great opportunity!

Visit Us at this Weekend's Green Expo
We'll be at Ft Lauderdale's 2009 Green Expo this weekend so come visit our booth and buy some hard-to-find native plants! The event is being held on Saturday, April 25 at Stranahan Park in downtown Ft. Lauderdale and runs from 9am to 3pm. The focus this year is water conservation and energy efficiency... We definitely have the right plants for that! For more information, please visit the Green Ft. Lauderdale webpage.

Thanks for joining our Restoration Picnic!
Many thanks to everyone who joined our restoration picnic this year! We spent the morning clearing Burmareed, hardwoods and debris along the edge of our firebreak at IRC's George N. Avery Pineland before stopping for lunch back at the IRC headquarters. We really appreciate your company and efforts. The difference is impressive and we are well on our way to having it ready for a burn later this year. An extra special thanks to John Whelan who advanced our efforts considerably by using his tractor to clear the firebreak before we even started.

Join us April 18 for a Restoration Picnic!
It's time for IRC's annual restoration celebration! Put on your work gloves and join us at 8:30am on April 18 at IRC's George N. Avery Pineland for our 3rd Annual Restoration Barbeque. We'll spend the morning maintaining globally imperiled pine rockland habitat, then, at 11:30am, will enjoy a picnic on the property to appreciate the fruits of our labor. IRC will provide drinks, sandwiches, some fruits and veggies, but please feel free to bring a salad or dessert to share. The George N. Avery Pineland is located on S.W. 125th Avenue, just north of S.W. 240th Street. There's plenty of work for all ages and fitness levels, and we'll even take you late if you can't quite get up on time for the 8:30am start. We're looking forward to a fun and productive time with you! Click here for more information and a map.

Noticed Our Web Updates?
Limited time and funds make it challenging to keep our website current, but we think it's important and have recently invested some time in the cause. Check out our newly added Pine Rockland Initiative page with information for private pine rockland landowners. Keep your eyes open for additional improvements in the near future!
If you'd like to support this work, please contact Patty at (305) 247-6547 or castillo@regionalconservation.org to make a donation.

Native Plants and Books for Sale
A dedicated webpage for our native plant nursery is next on our list of planned web updates (see above), but until then... we thought you might like to see what we've got available at the moment! Here's our current plant list. Our nursery is open to the public Monday through Friday during normal business hours, but please call ahead (305-247-6547) to ensure staff assistance.
In addition to plants, we just discovered 10 last copies of IRC's 2002 book, "Rare Plants of South Florida: Their History, Conservation and Restoration", that we're offering for sale. This book is part of IRC's "Restoring South Florida's Native Plant Heritage" program and excerpts are available online for viewing. Please contact Patty (305-247-6547 or castillo@regionalconservation.org) for more information or to make a purchase.

Floristic Quality Index Developed for South Florida
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service just released a document entitled “Coefficients of conservatism values and the Floristic Quality Index for the vascular plants of south Florida.” IRC Senior Biologist Michael Barry and IRC Executive Director George Gann are both co-authors on the document and helped to develop this important conservation tool. The premise of the coefficient of conservatism is that plants have varying degrees of fidelity to specific habitats and quality of that habitat. All plants native to an area can be assigned a number on a scale from one to ten by local experts that reflects their tolerance to habitat disturbance. Once assigned, these values can be combined to create an objective and repeatable method for comparing the floristic conditions of geographically separated habitats, though comparisons cannot be made between differing habitat types. At this juncture of rapid habitat loss and deterioration, this tool may prove crucial for making informed management decisions.

Urban Habitat Restoration Symposium
IRC director George Gann started 2009 off strong with a presentation at the Great Lakes Urban Habitat Restoration Symposium in Chicago, IL last month. In his role as chair of the SER International board of directors, George presented a global overview of ecological restoration and the role SER International plays in its facilitation. The conference itself was focused on protecting and improving riverine and nearshore habitats within the urban zones of the Great Lakes area. As part of his talk, George discussed projects specific to the area, but also emphasized the magnitude of projects around the world, the resources available to learn from, and the importance of collaboration. He specifically mentioned some of the special concerns associated with projects in urban areas and used examples from IRC’s projects within South Florida, demonstrating the utility of global interchange on restoration techniques.

GreenSweep Project in the Keys
The Nature Conservancy’s Florida Keys office recently transferred their GreenSweep project to IRC for continuation. Initiated in 2001, the program is designed to eradicate invasive exotic plants from public conservation lands and priority private lands in the Florida Keys. Primarily funded by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the State of Florida, the project expands the geographic scope of our restoration work from Miami-Dade County, where we have conducted a similar project for the last 4 years, to Monroe County.

More Global Connections
George continues to take local conservation tactics, the very concepts that built IRC, to the global community through his work with SER. He attended a meeting in Montreal, Canada with the Convention on Biological Diversity Secretariat at the end of September and just returned from the IUCN World Conservation Congress in Barcelona, Spain. At this juncture of global environmental concern, it is increasingly important to create and maintain widespread dialogue about the state of our planet and how to ensure positive futures. SER recently released a policy position statement on the role of ecological restoration in reversing ecosystem fragmentation. While George is formally representing SER as Chair of the Board, this is very much a conversation about IRC and our grassroots efforts to return nature to Miami’s metropolitan areas through our Natives for Your Neighborhood and Restoring the Link programs. We’re very excited to be part of this global movement and are sure that our model will prove effective in other parts of the world as well!

Donate to IRC by Decorating Your Wall
Artist Ana Bikic's painting Red Flag proved such a hit, that she's now offering it for sale as a print with 40% of the proceeds coming to IRC! Ana specially created this work for the 5th Annual Friends of IRC Fundraising Party and it served us well as the front of our invitation and as the highest bidding item in our auction. You can now decorate your walls at home with Red Flag by buying it online and again, it will support IRC. Ana (pictured at the IRC event below with Red Flag), thanks for your generosity!

Thanks for making the FOIRC Party great!
Many thanks to everyone who helped make our 5th Annual Friends of IRC Fundraising Party a great success despite a rather wet ending. We would especially like to thank Tropical Audubon Society for inviting us back to Doc Thomas House; Elane Neuhring of the Miami Blue Butterfly Chapter for facilitating the first ever butterfly count at Doc Thomas House; Citizens for a Better South Florida for providing learning fun for the kids; and Valerie Wisecracker for providing music and entertainment for all. We're pleased to report that despite the economic uncertainties of the moment, we raised over $4,000 amidst the fun! Many thanks to each and every one of you that contributed to this total. For those of you that missed the party, you can still make a donation by contacting Patty at castillo@regionalconservation.org or (305) 247-6547. For those of you that were there, we truly hope that you had as much fun as we did!

Come to the FOIRC Party on October 25!!!
The Institute for Regional Conservation & Tropical Audubon Society invite you to gather with past, present and future Friends of IRC members for a day of festivities! Join us as we celebrate landscaping for wildlife through butterfly explorations with Elane Neuhring of the Miami Blue Butterfly Chapter, kid's activities by Citizens for a Better South Florida, live music by Valerie Wisecracker, food and great company. We'll provide the barbeque, but please bring a dessert or salad to share and don't forget your cash for the bar, silent auction and raffle tickets (we also accept checks, but no credit cards please).
When: Saturday, October 25, 2008 from 11am to 3pm
Where: Doc Thomas House, 5530 Sunset Drive, South Miami
Who: YOU and all your friends and family...

Your support is vital to our continued progress in restoring the link between people and nature!
We hope to see you there.

Please contact Patty (castillo@regionalconservation.org; (305) 247-6547) for more information or to make a donation.

Ecosymbolism Art at the 5th Annual FOIRC Party: A note about 'Red Flag'
Founder of the Ecosymbolism Art movement, artist Ana Bikic has dedicated her work to inspiring environmental conservation. She views art as a catalyst for joining science, nature and the public in a dialogue toward creative solutions to our environmental challenges. In support of our attempts to link people and nature, Ana has designed Red Flag, the painting featured on this year’s invitation, for our auction. The red flags allude to the coontie’s troubled past in times of overharvesting and the ensuing plight of both this species and the dependent Atala butterfly – tagged for quick sale or alarm? As these species walk the tightrope to recovery, we’re forced to think about other pineland residents and beyond.

Botanical Notes from the Florida Keys
IRC has been working in the Big Pine Key area of the Florida Keys recently, doing rare plant monitoring for the National Key Deer Refuge. As part of these surveys, Biologist Steven Green has made a couple of interesting discoveries. He found Garber's sandmat (Chamaesyce garberi), a Federally-listed Threatened and State-listed Endangered species, in pine rockland habitat. This may not sound that exciting to those of you that have seen the species in Miami-Dade County, but in the Keys the species hasn't been observed in this habitat type for 100 years or so! Steve also discovered myrtle-of-the-river (Calyptranthes zuzygium) on No Name Key. Up to now this State-listed Endangered species only extended as far as Key Largo from Miami-Dade County, but had not been recorded in the Lower Keys.

George Gann at Kew Gardens, U.K.
Once again, IRC Executive Director George Gann just returned from abroad in the name of restoration. He most recently served on an internal review panel at the Royal Botanic Gardens in Kew, U.K. The panel assessed the ways in which botanical gardens in general, and the Royal Botanic Gardens in particular, can better contribute to the science supporting ecological restoration around the world.

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Honors Keith Bradley
IRC Assistant Director Keith Bradley recently received a “Leader in Recovery” award from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS). Every year the USFWS recognizes selected employees and partners that have made exceptional contributions toward the recovery of threatened and endangered species. Keith has worked closely with the USFWS for many years to protect and restore populations of rare and endangered plants, particularly pine rockland species. They clearly appreciate his efforts and we’re proud of the recognition. Way to go Keith!

Convention on Biological Diversity in Germany
IRC Executive Director George Gann recently traveled to Bonn, Germany to participate in the 9th Convention on Biological Diversity. Representing the Society for Ecological Restoration International (SER), George was there to tout an integrated, ecosystem level approach to protecting biodiversity and the health of our planet. This approach to conservation was one of George’s inspirations for founding IRC. To learn more about this concept, read SER’s briefing note, “Opportunities for Integrating Ecological Restoration & Biological Diversity within the Ecosystem Approach”.

Environmental Efforts in South Korea
IRC Executive Director George Gann recently returned from a trip to Seoul, South Korea where he was invited to be a judge on a panel to determine the design of Gangbuk Park. The site of an abandoned amusement park, the Seoul Metropolitan Government has decided to convert the 100 hectare area into an environmental oasis where people and nature can connect. George was the point person for environmental assessments and was instrumental in the selection of a design that will not only provide space for people to enjoy recreational activities, including sports and the arts, but will also reconnect fragmented natural areas and integrate wildlife habitat throughout the park. While in Seoul, George also met with Kwi-Gon Kim, a professor at the Seoul National University who also directs the Korea Eco-City Network. In his role as chair of the Society for Ecological Restoration International (SER), George is working with Professor Kim to establish SER’s first international ecological restoration resource center.

New Pithecellobium for the Florida Keys
IRC Biologists Keith Bradley and Michael Barry found a population of Bahamas cat's claw (Pithecellobium bahamense) in a pine rockland on Big Pine Key last fall. The population had also been observed the previous year by local naturalist and photographer Paula Cannon. While this population is the first discovered in Florida, it is considered native to the area because of its close proximity to natural populations in the Caribbean and the fact that it is not currently being cultivated in Florida.

Join Us for a Movie Extravaganza!
We join forces with Tropical Audubon Society (TAS) to bring you Wind Across The Everglades. This classic 1958 movie, never released in the U.S. on DVD or video, stars Burl Ives, Chris Plummer and Gypsy Rose Lee. Get a glimpse of Miami in its pioneer days as you're transported to a conservation battlefield where the Audubon Society takes on the Cottonmouth Gang to protect wading birds from plume hunters. The battle gets nasty as elements of the Everglades become weapons... beware death by manchineel!

When: Thursday, May 8. Doors open at 7pm.
Where: Doc Thomas House (5530 Sunset Drive)
Tickets: $20 at the door - Proceeds from this fundraiser will be split between IRC and TAS to support underfunded conservation projects.

Native Plant Day A Success!
Many thanks to everyone who helped make Native Plant Day a big success for IRC! We sold 2/3 of our plants and met many new people. We got great feedback from everyone who stopped to chat and really enjoyed the opportunity to meet with old and new friends. Thanks again! We hope to see you at our next event.

Join us March 15 at Native Plant Day
It's time for the Dade Chapter of Florida Native Plant Society's Native Plant Day! Join us Saturday, March 15 from 9am to 4pm at the Enchanted Forest Elaine Gordon Park (1725 N.E. 135th St.) for a day of fun and learning. IRC will be hosting a plant sales and information booth where you can learn about and buy lesser known native plants. Be sure to visit us as you make your way around all the different activities! For more information on the event, as well as a schedule of talks, visit the official event webpage.

Debris Cleared at the IRC Restoration BBQ
The day started with dismal piles of trash along one edge of our George N. Avery Pineland, including everything from fresh, dirty diapers to 5-gallon containers filled with motor oil. Fortunately, our Friends are a tough crew and, after seven truckloads taken to the dump and a site visitation by a DERM inspector, the day ended with laughter, good food and a cleared fenceline. Illegal dumping is just one of the ongoing threats to natural areas in South Florida. Many thanks to everyone who donated their Sunday morning to helping us combat this problem!

Grant Award from the Pacific Foundation
We recently received an unsolicited grant from the Pacific Foundation for general operating costs based on a recommendation by one of our Friends of IRC Members. The Pacific Foundation supports "new and innovative technology, ideas and global communication" relevant to social justice, the environment and the arts. IRC strives toward a holisitic approach to ecological conservation that depends upon participation of local residents, particularly in urban areas. It is often difficult to find funding for the less familiar, but still essential, components of our approach. Grants such as this one are crucial to our success. Many thanks to the Pacific Foundation for enabling our work and to the Friends of IRC member that recommended us for this funding! If anyone else has connections with foundations or corporations with giving programs, please keep us in mind. Our vision is big, but our resources are limited.

Come to the IRC Restoration BBQ
Join us on Sunday, February 24 for a morning of fun and fulfillment at this year’s Restoration Barbeque. Contribute to the planet by helping us restore critically imperiled pine rockland habitat at the IRC George N. Avery Pineland. There is limited parking at the pineland so please meet at the IRC office (22601 S.W. 152 Ave.) between 8:30-9:00am to carpool. If you arrive after 9:00am, please head directly to IRC’s pineland on S.W. 125th Avenue, just north of SW 240th Street. We’ll work from 9-noon, then, after admiring our work, we’ll head back to the IRC office for festivities. We’ll be serving one of Keith’s now famous meat dishes (don’t worry, there will be vegetarian options as well) so please bring a side, salad or dessert to share. We hope you will all be able to join us! There will be plenty of work for every age and fitness level and more than anything, it is a chance to hang out. For more information, call Patty at 305-247-6547.

IRC Nursery Now Open for Business
Have you ever found that perfect plant on our Natives for Your Neighborhood website, but not been able to find it on the market? Frustrating, isn't it? IRC has been working to solve that problem by creating a nursery focused on hard to find native species. We have limited inventory at the moment, but we have stock available for sale. Check out our current native plant price list. Help save South Florida's unique plant diversity by bringing the wilderness to your backyard and support IRC's conservation efforts at the same time! Please contact Patty at 305-247-6547 for more information or to make a purchase.

Another IRC Database Launching
Ever wanted to arrange your visits to state parks in the Florida Keys around the plants you love most? Now you can! IRC's newest database, the State Parks of the Florida Keys Database, is designed to do just that. This is IRC's second internal replicate of the conservation methodology first developed with the Florisitic Inventory of South Florida (FISF). We are currently working on other replicates in Puerto Rico, the Bahamas and the Yucatan Peninsula of Mexico. For more information on our methodology, please see the Executive Summary and Chapter 1 of IRC's Book Rare Plants of South Florida: Their History, Conservation, and Restoration (Gann, Bradley & Woodmansee, 2002).

Sun-Sentinel Article Highlights NFYN
IRC and the Broward County Water Resources Division have been working together to promote native plant landscaping through the Naturescape program. The Sun-Sentinel just created a new venue for the program through their newly announced Native Plant of the Week article. This will be a biweekly article in the New Homes section by author Debby LaFogg-Dochtery. The article announcement, " Go 'native' with our exciting new column", ran on November 24, 2007.

IRC in the Florida Parks and SFC CESU Fall Newsletters
IRC’s work gained mention in the fall issues of the Florida Parks and South Florida Caribbean (SFC) CESU newsletters. The Florida Parks newsletter, Park Scene, highlighted Biologist Kirsten Hines’ new finding of an endangered rimrock crowned snake (Tantilla oolitica) at the Barnacle Historic Site (see page 15) and Director George Gann’s involvement in identifying a population of Mahogany mistletoe (Phoradendron rubrum) in north Key Largo, a site where it was thought to be extirpated (see page 16). IRC was introduced as a new partner in the SFC CESU newsletter, South Florida Caribbean CESU News and Updates, and a brief summary was given of various IRC vegetation mapping projects pertaining to this partnership (see page 2).

Floristic Inventory of the Florida Keys Database Launched
You can now do a detailed search for plants in the Florida Keys! Get a general plant list, or search by Conservation Area or Habitat on the Florisitic Inventory of the Florida Keys (FIFK) Database. Data collection began for this project as part of the Florisitic Inventory of South Florida (FISF) in 1995 and assessment began in 2006. This is IRC's first internal replicate of the conservation methodology first developed with the FISF. We are currently working on other replicates in Puerto Rico, the Bahamas and the Yucatan Peninsula of Mexico. For more information on our methodology, please see the Executive Summary and Chapter 1 of IRC's Book Rare Plants of South Florida: Their History, Conservation, and Restoration (Gann, Bradley & Woodmansee, 2002).

4th Annual Friends of IRC Fundraising Party A Success!
Many thanks to everyone who helped make this event our most successful yet! We're pleased to announce that we more than doubled both the number of attendees and the amount of money raised from last year's event. Over 100 people, including founding FOIRC members and many new faces, shared in the fun throughout the day; we also hit the $5,000 mark! We could not have done this without your help. We would especially like to thank Tropical Audubon Society for co-hosting this event, Suzanne Koptur for an enlightening talk, and Citizens for a Better South Florida for keeping the children happy and learning. This was a collaborative effort, and IRC Director George Gann summarized it best in his closing remarks when he reminded us that we are essential to solving today's environmental challenges and that we can achieve this by working together.

Join The 4th Annual Friends of IRC Fundraising Party
When: Saturday, October 13 from 11am—3pm
Where: Doc Thomas House, 5530 Sunset Drive
It’s time for another reunion of past, present and future Friends of IRC members! Tropical Audubon Society is opening their doors for this year’s event so that you can get a first-hand look at IRC’s pine rockland restoration. In addition to a walk featuring this work, Suzanne Koptur is giving a talk on pinelands and their pollinators. Other highlights include kids’ activities hosted by Citizens for a Better South Florida, barbeque, beer by Peroni, music, plant raffle & sales, a silent auction and great company.
We hope you can join us!
Nonmembers are welcome with a donation. Please RSVP to Patty at castillo@regionalconservation.org (email preferred) or 305-247-6547.

SER's Global Climate Change Statement
A global climate change statement was released by the Society for Ecological Restoration (SER) at their recent joint "Ecological Restoration in a Changing World" meeting with Ecological Society of America (ESA). According to IRC Executive Director George Gann, now acting chair of SER, “Unless checked, global climate change will destroy people, places, and life as we know it. Ecological restoration offers hope in two key areas: by reconnecting fragmented ecosystems allowing animals and plants to migrate in response to such change; and, by capturing carbon through the restoration of forests, peat-forming wetlands, and other ecosystems that act as carbon sinks.” For more details, go to SER's Global Restoration Network Website.

New Opportunities for IRC!
IRC just received great news! We are now official members of the South Florida and Caribbean Cooperative Ecosystems Studies Unit (CESU). CESU’s are a national network of cooperating agencies and organizations which work together to provide research, technical assistance, and education to land managers. The South Florida and Caribbean CESU consists of several large government agencies including the National Park Service, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and most regional universities. IRC is only the second not-for-profit organization accepted into the local CESU.

IRC Director Honored for Dedication to Restoration
IRC Executive Director George Gann recently received a Board Appreciation Award from the Tropical Audubon Society (TAS) for over 20 years of restoration work on their Doc Thomas House property. His dedication to restoration is also being recognized by the Society for Ecological Restoration International (SER) as they have nominated him to be Chair of their board for a second time starting in August 2007.

New IRC Posters for Sale
Two IRC wall posters featuring trees & shrubs and wildflowers are now available for $10 each, including tax and shipping. Please send a check to: Attention Patty, IRC, 22601 SW 152 Avenue, Miami, Florida, 33170 (USA only or contact us for special handling). Below are preview images of the posters designed by our 2006 intern Anja Skroblin with photos by Keith Bradley, Steve Woodmansee, and George Gann.